Abthttb mcgavic



May 26,"1931. A. MCG'AVK; f 1,806,637

LOUVER DOOR Filed April 20, 1927 wrmssszzs 27 .35

v Patented May 26, 1931 PATENT OFFICE I ARTH R-Macrame, or KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, AssIGNon T ATHAN PAINIEZ; or

r MIAMIBEAGH, FLOR-IDA. V i

, LouvEa noon Application and April 20,

It has been customary inhotels and apart ments to provide, in addition to the usual entrance door for the main doorway of each room", a louver orslat door in the same doorway to aiford ventilation during the warmer months, the auxiliary door being either swung back against the oorridorwall during the cooler months or else'removed entirely. This condition has necessitated two sets of doors, representing a substantial investment in the case oflarge buildings. It has then been proposed to employ entrance doors having'metal louvers mounted thereon for ventilation, but the useof metal louvers has proved generally unsatisfactory both because of their appearance andinability to furnish adequate ventilation during the summer months. It has also been proposed to' provide louver entrance doors of woodbut they have been of such construction as to be unsatisfactoryin use and objectionable in appearance; f

It is an object of the present invention to provide a louver entrance door of wood construction for hotels and apartments, capable of aflording ample ventilation to obviate the need for the usual transom over the doorway, and of such character as to insure quietness in use, privacy to the occupants of the room,

smoothand easy manipulation for adj ustment' of ventilation, and pleasing appearance.

'Another object-of theinvention isto per- 7 feet "details of the' louver door including a slidiiig' panel by whiehventilation'is regu- The invention furtherconsists in the several features hereinafter set forth and more 7 particularly defined by the annexed claims.

V In theaccompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is,

an elevation ofa louverdoor embodying the invention, as viewed from the interior. of the room, the louvers being partially closed;

1 Fig. 2;is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the door at a slightly larger scale taken on tl1eline2' 2 of Fig.1, j

Fig. 3 isa similar fragmentary sectional i ew onfa still larger scale with the louvers fully openedyand I 4 is atransverse sectional view of the door taken'onthe line 4"4*of Fig: 1'.

1927. 'Serial No. 185,233,

V In these drawings, the numeral 10 designates a door casing of a hotel or apartment room, in which is hingedly-mounted for swmging movement the louver door .11' embodying the invention. The'louver door 11 comprises a pair of stiles 12 joined by an upper rail 13, an intermediate rail 14, and a bottom rail 15, all of which may be formed of veneered core stock. A fixed door panel 16 occupies the space between the stiles 12 and the-intermediate and lower rails, 14 and 15 and has a permanent tongue and groove connection '17 with these members.

A fixed louver frame 18 is let into the rectangular opening 19 formed between the stiles 12 and the top and intermediate rails 13 and 14, and is secured therein, prefer ably in slightly recessed relation, by nails 20 driven diagonally through the marginal por tions of the louver frame and into the sur-' rounding and abutting rails and stiles "The louver frame comprises a pair of side upright strips 21 and an intermediate centrally-disposed upright strip 22 which are joined by horizontal top and bottom strips 23 and 24, respectively. The inner side faces of the side upright strips 21 andboth side faces of the central upright strips 22 are provided with shallow inclined parallel slots 25,;whichhave' closely fitting therein the ends'of horizontal wooden slats orlouvers 26, the lower edge of any one'louver being lower than the upper edge' of the subjacent' louver, and the upper edges of'thelouvers being on the room side of the door; At the upper and lowerend of each set of louvers, an auxiliary louver strip appearance of peepforming cracks along the edges of the 7 end louvers; since I the louvers are of wood and somewhat flexible;

The inner or room side of the door is re- 25 is secured to the interior face of the louver cessed or rabbeted along thelinner edges of i the stiles and'upper and lower rails to receive therein portions of flanged molding strips27 28, 29 and 30, which together form an 'elongated rectangular upright frame, the molding 'strips27 and 28 being disposed vertically along the stiles and the molding strips 29 and 30 being disposed horizontally along the top and bottom rails, respectively. The inner face of the upright molding strip 27 at one side of the door is provided with a narrow longitudinal channel 31 preferably V-shaped in cross-section, while the upright molding strip 28 at the other side of the door is of T-shaped section and forms with the rabbeted corners of the stile a channel 32 preferably somewhat wider than the channel 31.

A slide panel 33, preferably formed of a sheet of veneer, has its opposite side edges disposed in the channels 31 and 32 in the upright molding strips 27 and 28 and is provided with a handle orlift 34 by which it may be moved up and down. One side edge of the panel, includes. a narrow tongued hardwood strip 35 which slidably fits in the V-shaped channel 31, while the opposite side edge of the panel is provided with a pair of spaced longitudinally-extending springs 36, one end of each spring being secured to the edge of the panel by a screw 37 and the intermediate portion of the spring being arched to slidably engage the bottom of the channel 32 and thus laterally urge the tongued edge'35 of the panel into the channel 31. In this manner the panel is guided for smooth vertical sliding-movement without unnecessary play or opportunity for rattling, and suflicient friction is afforded to maintain the panel at any adjusted position. Thepanel may be readily placed in the door by laterally urging the panel into the channel 32 against the action of the springs 36 to permit the entrance of: the tongued strip 35 into the channel 31- atthe opposite side. In order to a void the accumulation of dust orother foreign matter in, the lower molding strip 30, a filler strip 38, is placed within the molding strip groove and forms an abutment for the lower edge of the panel 33 in its lowermost position.

When the panel is in its lowermost position the upper edge thereof is at the bottom edge of the louver frame 18 so that all the louvers are then fully. exposed to afford a maximum of ventilation. When it is desired to partially close the louvers,-the slide panel 33 is drawn upwardly by the handle 34 to the intermediate positions of Figs. 1 and 2, where the panel is frictionally retained, and when it is desired to completely close the louvers, the slide panel is lifted, to its uppermost position in which the upper edge ofthe frictionally held, panel. enters, the inner grooveof the uppermoldingstrip 29.

The veneered slide panel 33' has vertically grained outer laminae whilet-he interior wood has: a horizontal grain, which. permits the upper edge of the; interior wood layer to be molded or rounded, as seen in Fig.- 3,,thereby affording-theappearance ofan inserted molding; At one side edge of the'panel the horizontally grained interiorwood layer is re moved" topermit the insertion of the tongued hardwood strip 35, heretofore described, which affords a smooth durable sliding surface.

The intermediate rail 14 is thinner than the upper and lower rails 13 and 15, the inner face of this rail being substantially flush with the bottom of the shallowrecesslreceiving the thin slide panel 33, while the outer face of the rail is flush with the outer face of the other rails and stiles. The outer face-of the door has no louver parts projecting from its plane, while on the inner or room face of the door the molding strips 27, 28, 29 and 30 project slightly and form a neat rectangular frame within which the depressed slide panel is. unobtrusively mounted. Both the inner and outer faces of; the door, thus'present a pleasing substantialappearance having no suggestion of bulkiness on makeshift construction.

What I claim as new. and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A louver door' comprising a pair of spaced stiles, top and bottom rails joining said stiles, an intermediate rail joining said stiles and of lesser thickness than the top and bottom rails and having its inner face depressed from the plane of theinner face of the door, the inner marginal edge portions of said stiles and top and bottom rails being rabbeted; at the inner face of, the door substantially to the, plane of the depressed inner face of said, intermediate rail, a.fixed panel, closingthe space between said stiles and the intermediate and lower rails, a fixed louver frame occupying the space between said stiles and the upper and intermediate rails, there being upright channels on the inner side of; said door adjacent the rabbeted inner edge portions of said stiles, and a 1;-

panel vertically slidably movable in said channels to close said louver-frame when in its upper position and to exposesaid frame when in a lower position;-

2. A louver door comprising-spaced; stiles and spaced rails joining said stiles, a. fixed panel extending between said stiles atthe lower portion of the door, a fixedvision-obgstructing louver frame extending between said stiles at the upper portion of the door, there being upright channels OITtllGDOOHIgSldG of said door adjaeentlsaidstiles, a ventilation-regulating panel vertically slidably movable in said channels and havinga V- shaped edge fittingin, one of saidchannels against lateral movement, arched springs, secured to one side edge of-saidpa-nelandslidably engageable with the; bottom of} one of said channels for laterally urgi-ng-the opposite edge of said side panel intovits channel, said movable panel'in its upper POSitiOII-SGIV- ing to close said louver frame and, in a; lower position to expose said louver frame-, a-n d*said movable panel being laterally displaeeable in its plane to compress said-springsatone-edge for efiecting the clearance of the opposite edge with respect to its channel to thereby permit the initial placement of said panel into its channels.

3. A louver door comprising a pair of spacedstiles, top and bottom rails joining said stiles, a fixed stationary panel extending between said stiles at the lower portion of the door, a fixed stationary vision-obstructing louver frame extendingvbetween said stiles at the upper portion of the door, flanged strips secured along the inside edge portions of said stiles and rails on the room side of the door to form a vertically-extending rectangular frame and'presenting opposite facing longitudinal channels,a filler strip disposed along the inner sideof the molding strip at the bottom rail and having an end extending into the channel of the adjacent vertical molding strip, and a ventilation-regulating panel vertically slidably movable insaid channels and serving to close said louver frame in its upper position and to expose said louver frame when in a lower position.

4. A louver door comprising a pair of spaced stiles, top and bottom rails joining said stiles, a fixed stationary panel closing the space between said stiles at the lower portion of the door, a fixed stationary vision-obstructing louver frame occupying the space between said stiles at the upper portion of the door, the inside edge portions of said stiles and rails on the room side of the door being rabbeted, flanged molding strips disposed in said rabbeted portions of said stiles and rails to form an upright rectangular frame some of said molding strips being of T-shaped cross-section with their legs extending into the rabbeted portions of said stiles and rails and the vertical moldingustrips along said stiles presenting opposite facing longitudinal channels, and a ventilatioil-regulating 7 panel vertically slidably movable in said channels and serving to close said louver frame when in its upper position and to expose said louver frame when in a lower posi- In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

ARTHUR Mo AVIC. 

